The White Stripes’ Jack White and punk legends The Offspring are part of a packed line-up for the return of Victoria's Always Live program.
The Offspring will perform a one-night show Light It Up at The Forum, with demand expected to be so high that tickets are being allocated for each Australian state and New Zealand.
The largest screen in the southern hemisphere will be built at Flemington Racecourse to host the mind-bending digital presentations of Italian-American DJ Anyma, who will play in Australia for the first time.
In its third year, the Victorian government-backed Always Live will feature more than 65 music events staged across the state from November, from stadium shows to intimate concerts.
Despite the international headliners, more than 200 of the 289 artists on the Always Live bill are from Victoria, with Missy Higgins and Baker Boy on hand to launch the program at Melbourne's Corner Hotel on Wednesday.
Tina Arena will celebrate the 30th anniversary of her album Don't Ask with a concert alongside Richard Marx, Daryl Braithwaite, and Kate Ceberano.
At the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Missy Higgins will play an encore show as part of her Second Act Tour, which has sold out 40 shows so far and marks 20 years since her album The Sound of White.
Just over a third of the program will run in regional Victoria, with youth music initiative The Push hosting all-ages gigs in regional towns.
More than 155,000 people attended Always Live in 2023 and the program supported thousands of jobs, said Major Events Minisiter Steve Dimopoulos.
Yet some in the industry believe government-backed programs such as Always Live have distorted the market for live music as it recovers from the pandemic, making life harder for struggling festivals.
"Those music events were attracting big international stars with no risk to the promoter, because the government was backing those events," Mitch Wilson from the Australian Festivals Association told a parliamentary hearing in April.
Byron Bay Bluesfest has become the latest in a string of festivals to be postponed or cancelled, with Splendour in the Grass and Groovin' the Moo also hitting the wall.
As music festivals tried to re-establish themselves, the government was effectively competing against them and pricing them out of the market, argued Wilson.
The association wants government money used to support existing events, especially smaller festivals which are volunteer-run and backed by local councils.
Always Live will run from November 22 to December 8 across Victoria.
